Religion News: Pope extends priests’ power to forgive abortion

Thursday

Nov 24, 2016 at 12:01 AM

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WEEK IN RELIGIONThe ability for Catholic priests to absolve the sin of abortion has been extended indefinitely by Pope Francis. The pope granted a special dispensation last year for the duration of his “Year of Mercy” in which all priests were given the power to absolve the sin of abortion. Previously, only bishops and specially designated confessors were given the power to forgive the sin, but despite the “Year of Mercy” concluding on Nov. 20, Francis called for priests to continue to provide support for those seeking to rejoin the church. In a letter released Nov. 21, Francis said “I can and must state that there is no sin that God’s mercy cannot reach and wipe away when it finds a repentant heart seeking to be reconciled with the Father. May every priest, therefore, be a guide, support and comfort to penitents on this journey of special reconciliation.” Although the Catholic Church still believes that abortion is a “grave sin,” Francis’ announcement makes it easier for women who have had abortions to be absolved for the actions and to rejoin the church.— More Content Now

SURVEY SAYSAlthough being religiously unaffiliated is now the largest “religious” group in the U.S., they still believe in God or a higher power. According to a Public Religion Research Institute survey, the unaffiliated said God is either a person with whom people can have a relationship (22 percent) or is an impersonal force (37 percent). Only 33 percent of the religiously unaffiliated said they do not believe in God.— More Content Now

GOOD BOOK?“How’s You Soul?: Why Everything that Matters Starts with the Inside You” by Judah SmithJudah Smith, New York Times bestselling author of “Jesus Is ______,” explores what it looks like to cultivate a healthy soul in the midst of a busy life and points readers to the soul’s only true home and place of rest and fulfillment: God. In “How’s Your Soul?,” Smith explores that “inside you.” Sharing his own, often humorous, mistakes and foibles, he helps us find our way through the emotional roller coasters of life to discover the soul-healing essentials of rest, responsibility, restraint, and relationships, all rooted in what he calls the soul’s only true home — God himself.— Thomas Nelson